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An autobody shop in Smithtown, Long Island was sued last summer by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) and has recently agreed to pay affected employees $400,000 in owed wages and damages. Almost 50 current and former employees were denied the proper overtime wages and experienced several labor violations. The autobody , Bi-County, is one of several Central Islip auto repair shops that have settled federal wage violations charged just this year alone.

The employees at this autobody that worked in detailing, glass replacements, collision repairs and also in the office would be paid straight time for overtime instead of time and one half their regular hourly rate when working over 40 hours per week. Additionally, Bi- County deducted an hour from employees’ paychecks every day for meal breaks even though they often did not to take those breaks. The autobody shop also falsified its payroll records in an attempt to cover up the alleged violations but kept separate records representing the actual hours worked which ranged on average from 42-60 hours weekly. Even though Bi-County did not admit any wrongdoing it agreed to pay $185,000 in back wages, another $185 in damages, and $30,000 in civil penalties to settle the case handled by the USDOL.

Autobody shops have earned themselves a bad reputation when it comes to providing the proper wages to its employees. If you or a loved one works or has worked for an autobody shop and feel they may not be getting paid properly, do not hesitate to call an employment lawyer. At Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP we offer a free phone consultation with any of our available representatives that can quickly let you know if your claim is something we can assist you with. You can reach us at (212)300-0375 or by visiting us on our website.

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